Melancholic State
by LitLover 101
Summary: Written for a challenge created by Rune Saint. He lost his brother. She lost her baby. He flipped his switch. She's clinging to the remains of her sanity. Can Stefan and Hayley find a way to solace in each other or will they destroy everyone else in their path?
1. Chapter 1

Written for a challenge created by Rune Saint. He lost his brother. She lost her baby. He flipped his switch. She's clinging to the remains of her sanity. Can Stefan and Hayley find a way to solace in each other or will they destroy everyone else in their path?

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries TV show. That honor goes to Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson. **

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is the first time that I've written for a challenge but I like to play with pairings. Here is the product of such an adventure. On with the show… **

Chapter 1: "You're Switch is Fried!"

Stefan found it all so funny now. At the time it had felt like he had been dragged straight into the depths of hell itself but he was wrong because at least in hell people don't expect you to do the right thing. They don't call. Or write. Or give a damn when you walk away…

**Five Days Ago: **

Sitting on the bench it felt like forever since he had come back from the crumbling Other Side. Caroline had been holding him for longer than he could concentrate. Every once in a while she would say something that was meant to be comforting as he stared at the ground in utter and complete shock. His brother was dead. Not dead vampire dead. Not dead to him because he was Damon and had done something else that made him the world's biggest dick as Jeremy Gilbert would say but dead. Not coming back to torture him about his taste in food or his "over" use of hair product. Damon was dead. Not coming back dead. Like their parents dead. Not to return. No epic good-bye scene for Stefan. Nope. Just gone. Infinitely gone.

Getting up, Stefan said that he needed to go. Caroline had asked him where he was going but he said he would be back. Don't worry. He just needed to take a walk to clear his head. Giving Caroline a reassuring smile, he gave her a hug and then began to walk. He couldn't go home. There was no home to go to even if he could go back to Mystic Falls because home was Damon. Damon was home. Without Damon there was no family and that meant nowhere to go and nothing to do.

"Where you goin,' Stef?" Damon's voice called as Stefan headed toward the nearest road. He stepped into the street and laid down, contemplating the night sky. Why had he never done this before? Damon used to do it all the time? As it turned it out it wasn't so bad, lying in the road, watching the sky above, waiting. "Stef?" Damon called with one of his eye rolling, extended, overly dramatic sighs that would ordinarily cause Stefan's mouth to quirk upward, but not now. Not when he knew that his brother was gone.

"Uh oh," Damon said as head lights headed toward Stefan who's head turned slowly toward the light. He didn't feel anything as the car came toward him and then he felt its tires rolling over his body. For a moment there was agonizing pain that reminded him that he was still alive. And that's all he wanted. Well, that and to have Damon back. But he couldn't have the latter so why not have the former?

When Stefan heard the car stop. The sound of heavy breathing and a pounding heart came closer. Stefan got to his feet. Slowly. Don't want to scare his new play mate. Feeling his lips quirk at his thoughts, Stefan stared at the young woman who had withdrawn her cell and was furiously punching at the numbers. There were tears in her eyes. She was shaking badly. Poor girl. She was probably thinking that she had killed some poor, innocent soul. It was important to Stefan that he correct her. And soon. "Hi," he called with a disarming smile.

The girl's head snapped up and her jaw dropped. "Oh! Oh, my God. But you're… I… How?"

"How? Why? People are always asking all these questions. Sometimes we think there's an answer for everything. But really there's absolutely nothing," Stefan said with a slow shake of his head. "If only we knew that in the beginning then we might not waste so much time giving a damn."

"Um… Are you okay?" the girl asked with wide eyes as she swallowed heavily. Her heart was pounding furiously and her cheeks were flushed from fear and a wonderful shot of adrenaline. It would make blood all that sweeter. He missed a good chase. Would she run? "I should call an ambulance. You might have hit your head," the girl was saying as she stared at Stefan. Trying to contain the situation. Trying to not show that she was terrified. But her hands were shaking and she dropped the phone to the ground.

Reaching down to grab her phone the girl came face to face with Stefan as he crouched down so they were a mere inch apart. "What's your name?" Stefan asked huskily, staring into her eyes so she had to answer.

"Mandy," she replied with a gulp. "My name… is Mandy."

"Hello, Mandy. I'm Stefan," Stefan replied with another smile as Mandy forced herself to smile in return. "You know, Mandy, I am having a really bad night. My brother, Damon, he decided to take my role and play the hero. Then he died. He died to save me, our town and all of our friends. Isn't that terrible, Mandy?"

"That's really terrible," Mandy told Stefan as she stared back at him, crying quietly. "I can't move."

"Huh. Let's fix that. Would you like for that to happen, Mandy?" Stefan inquired. nodding as Mandy's head moved up and down. "Yeah. I thought so. Mandy," Stefan began, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are your car keys still in your ignition?" Mandy shook her head. "Can you give them to me?" She pulled them from her jeans pocket and handed them over. "Thank you, Mandy. You can run now," Stefan said, gently before letting go of her shoulders.

Watching Mandy run for the count of thirty, Stefan began to whistle. It reminded him of Enzo and for some reason the thought of the vampire who had tried to kill him countless times did not bother him. Nothing really bothered him right now. Not yet. Maybe later. When he had hit thirty, Stefan shot in front of Mandy and came to stand before her. Mandy. as many people in this situation would. screamed until Stefan sank his teeth into her neck. Sucking more and more deeply, Stefan felt better as the blood flowed down his throat.

"Flipped the switch again, did ya?" Damon inquired as Stefan dropped Mandy's body to the ground. Cocking his head to the side, Stefan shook his head.

"Nope. Not yet. Sorry to disappoint you, Damon. I'm not that far gone yet," Stefan replied as he twirled Mandy's keys along his index finger.

"Keep telling yourself that," Damon called after Stefan as Stefan whistled to the tune in his head. Stopping beside Mandy's car, Stefan climbed inside and placed the key in the ignition. The next time he picked a victim he would have to make sure that he picked someone with a more interesting vehicle. This was like some kind of mommy mobile that Mandy had probably borrowed from her mommy. He should feel bad about having taken young Mandy from her family too soon but no one cared that his brother was gone. But Damon was a serial killer. Maybe no one should care. Except for Elena and Alaric and Liz and Caroline.

Maybe Stefan should turn the car around. However, he had no idea what he would do if he turned back. Would he be able to watch Elena fall apart? Could he stand to see Alaric back from the dead and not silently ask himself why Ric and not Damon? And Caroline? She would start trying to find a way to bring them back when there was no way and Stefan could listen to her constant stream of chirpy chatter about how they would find a way. At some point he would snap at her that this was not the damn football team that she was cheering for. This was his damn brother. This was Damon who had not been able to forsee living eternity without. No, he couldn't turn back. There was nothing left for him at home. Or not home.

The question was where, where was he supposed to go? Stefan had been all over the United States, parts of Canada and most of Europe among others. There was nowhere in particular that he wanted to go and no one that he really wanted to be around. The idea of going where no one would know his name appealed to his senses. He could give people a new name and start over. Pretend to be a human without trying to enter a girl, who looked like his ex's, life. Things would be simpler this time. Cleaner. No drama.

Turning on the stereo, Stefan turned up the music to full blast. Driving to a service station, he filled the tank, compelled the attendant that he had paid and grabbed a couple of bottles of really horrible bourbon and a case of beer. What was fun about being a vampire if you couldn't drink and drive? If he was lucky he would run into a van full of teens doing the same thing, have dinner since all that Mandy had achieved was making him feel like he was starving. Taking a swig from his first bottle, Stefan removed his hands from the wheel and began to laugh as the car swerved. Maybe he would lucky, get in an accident, be thrown from the car and be beheaded.

Laughing hysterically at the thought, Stefan noticed that there was a car pulled off to the side of the road up ahead. Smiling, he pulled up beside it. Getting out, he looked around for the passengers. "Hello? Anybody need help?" he called, trying not to laugh at his fake concern.

"Help. Over here. We need help," a woman's voice called and Stefan smiled when he noticed that they were standing off to the side of the road. There was a woman who was probably in her thirties with a man who was about her age. "My husband swerved to avoid a deer. We've been waiting for help for an hour," the woman said, as she looked at her husband who was holding a shirt to a head wound.

"That's a real pity," Stefan murmured as he sniffed the blood while moving closer to the couple. When he was close enough for the woman to get a good look at him she let out a loud scream before taking off, running. Looking at the man who frowned while watching his wife run away, Stefan shook his head in sympathy. "And they wonder why the divorce rate is so high. Be back in a minute."

Chasing the woman down, Stefan made quick work of her before he came back to make quick work of her husband. Back to the car and on with the road trip. With each new victim Stefan felt his hold on his humanity beginning to slip. And part of him could care less. "Stef, your switch is gone. You flip it off and on one too many times. It's not a toy." Damon waggled his finger and Stefan grinned.

"Fuck off, Damon," Stefan replied with another sip from a bottle of beer, he really felt nothing.

At some point he must have stopped somewhere, Stefan discovered when he woke up with a dark haired woman he had never met before. She was dead. Getting up, Stefan grabbed his clothes, dressed and then walked out the door. None of it meant a thing. There was nothing that meant a thing to him anymore.

Exiting the hotel room, Stefan walked down toward the stairs. Running down the stairs, he climbed on the back of the motorcycle that had once belonged to a biker. But then again so did his tongue. Among other parts. But when he pissed Stefan off by knocking his beer over and didn't apologize during day three of Stefan's trip, he had to teach the man a lesson. Unfortunately he didn't last more than an hour. Too bad. Stefan had been having fun.

After ditching the motorcycle on the edge of New Orleans, Stefan felt pleased when he stepped over the border of the town. He could not wait to run into Klaus. He wondered if Rebekah was still around. Last time he heard about the two Originals Caroline was telling him about her sex life. It didn't take Stefan long before he was greeted by a pack of wolves. This was going to be fun.

Ten minutes later, covered in blood and with a nasty bite, Stefan was more annoyed than amused as he struggled toward the area that the last wolf had told him that the Mikaelsons lived in before he ripped his head off. Stepping toward the gate, he saw the back of a familiar head. The woman looked like he felt, like she was full of unspent rage and no matter how much she tried to expel it it was still there. "Hayley?" Stefan called weakly as the werewolf turned to stare at him with a confused and irritated look. "Little help."

"Who…" Hayley began when she seemed to recognize him. Then she recognized the smell on him. "You're covered in wolf blood," she snarled and then she had him by the throat. She was incredibly strong. Too strong. That wasn't possible.

"Hayley, put the vampire down," a calm voice called but Hayley ignored it. "Hayley," came the warning tone and Stefan grinned when Hayley dropped him on his ass.

"Elijah, how good of you to show up. Mind telling Klaus that I need some blood?" Stefan inquired with a wide grin.

Elijah peered at Stefan with a questioning look and sniffed the air. "Mr. Salvatore. I'm not sure you understand what you have just entered into."

"Then why don't you explain it to me while Klaus gives me some blood," Stefan replied as he pushed himself to his feet and Elijah came over to help him.

"You're going to help him?" Hayley yelled with a look of rage directed at Elijah.

"Yes. He's one of my people, Hayley," Elijah snapped as the wolf or hybrid glared back at him.

"Unbelievable," Hayley growled.

"See you around, wolf girl," Stefan called as Hayley sneered while Elijah half carried him into the house. When they found Klaus who was drinking Stefan called. "Hello, Nik."

Klaus turned around, his eyes widened when he took in the sight of Stefan who looked like his old friend from so long ago. "Ripper?"

"You called," Stefan quipped as Klaus came forward to embrace him. "Can I get a drink?" he asked when Klaus chuckled.

"What have you gotten yourself up to and what brings you to town? Nothing to do with that fool of a brother of yours?" Klaus inquired as he poured out a drink and then opened his wrist.

"The fool is dead," Stefan announced with a shrug.

"Damon is dead?" Elijah looked at Klaus who frowned as well.

Stefan ignored their looks. "What's up with the wolf girl? Is she like a pet that you're keeping around of something?" he asked as Klaus gave Elijah another long look. Thinking about the look on Hayley's face, Stefan thought about what he could do to irritate her again. That look was worth it. Something about it made him feel like they were kindred spirits and just because he didn't feel anything right now didn't mean he wanted to feel nothing alone.

**Comments, questions or requests, leave them in the little review box. **

**Thank you for faving, following, reading and/or reviewing. **

**Peace, **

**Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. This took a little bit longer than I thought it would take to write. Thanks, writer's block. Anywho, let me know what you think of the chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 2: The Wreckage that is My Life

Hayley lost her baby and now she was certain that she was losing the last remnants of her sanity. Of course, nothing could compare to the insanity that ran rampant about the compound. Klaus didn't really do anything but drink and sit in his room staring at his blank canvasses. It's like she ever thought that his work didn't suck it was just that he wasn't doing anything. She could not understand why he wasn't out there ripping through the remaining fools who caused them to have to send their baby away. What kind of father was he? Didn't he care? All he could do was try to save his own sorry skin thanks to the damned Guereras and their damned moonlight rings.

What made her even angrier was freakin' Elijah. He was even worse than Klaus. What excuse did he have for not doing his utmost to put every last one of the witches and wolves that had any part in her losing her daughter? What happened to the guy who said he would "Always protect her?" What a load of crap. He couldn't even look at her the same. All he saw was a monster, similar to his brother, only not blood. She no longer was what he wanted, what he had believed her to be… The last straw was when he had defended the vampire, one of the idiotic Salvatore brothers who had the nerve to kill some of her people. Yes, the werewolves were having a problem but that was for her to settle, not for some fool to come in and to slaughter.

Walking down the streets of New Orleans, Hayley wished that someone would challenge her. Just one idiot with a death wish would do for her tonight. She just needed to make this ache in her chest subside by ripping someone's throat out. "Come on," she whispered under her breathe, her eyes searching the darkness. She knew there would be a fight tonight. There was always a fight breaking out since Francesca had taken the city for her own. The problem with power was that once you had it you came to find out that there was always someone else who wanted to take it from you. Hayley did not envy the other werewolf, she just wanted her dead.

"You shouldn't be so far away from home, vampire," a voice snarled about five feet away.

Smiling to herself, Hayley turned around on the balls of her feet and spread her arms out in a manner that she had seen from Klaus. Yes, it was a little bit melodramatic but at that moment she didn't care. She just wanted to rip the other wolf's head off. If he wasn't with her, then he was against her and she was beyond negotiating with anyone. Save that for Elijah and his peace treaties. It hadn't saved her life when the witch slit her throat. She was done with trying to help people. This wolf made his choice, let him die with it.

Moving forward with her fists clenched, Hayley was about to punch the wolf in the face when he hit the ground, face first. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to not pick on women?" a familiar voice that set Hayley's teeth on edge rang through the air. "Not that I object to that behavior. I tend to pick on whoever smells the most like fear, actually. And right now, you smell delicious. So, what do you say since I'm trying to make friends here and all, you won't mind if I take a quick bite?" Stefan asked before sinking his fangs into the wolf's neck who let out a strangled scream. Retracting his fangs, Stefan grimaced, "On the other hand since you taste kind of gross I think I'll let the lady finish you off."

Yanking the wolf to his feet, Stefan moved to hand him to Hayley who grimaced and took a step back. "No, thank you. I'm not big on others' leftovers," she snapped before moving to turn her back on Stefan.

The older vampire shrugged, taking the werewolf by the chin, he forced the man to meet his eyes. "You know I don't think that she's feeling that you're a very good peace offering, do you?" Shaking the wolf's head back and forth as his own head moved there was snap before the wolf's body dropped to the ground. "Well, that was a waste. Okay, so where are we going now?" he asked with a clap of his hands and a wide grin.

"We?" Hayley shook her head. "You're kidding right?" Turning her back on Stefan, she started to stride away only to find him walking along beside her. "What do you think you're doing?" she yelled, stopping and turning to find Stefan's face an inch from hers which was even more disconcerting.

"I'm. Trying. To. Be. Your. Friend," Stefan said with a cocky smile that only caused Hayley to feel the urge to knock his teeth out. What in the hell was his problem?

"You want to be my friend?" Hayley asked incredulously with wide eyes. "What in God's name would tell you that I need a friend?" The very idea that she would want to be friends with any of the idiots that ran around Mystic Falls, now more than ever, was the most ridiculous idea that she ever heard in her life.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Stefan looked around. "Well, I guess I'll have to work on that one. How about I say that I need a friend since I'm new to this city and that I need to be able to get around with my head still intact. Survival thing. If I recall correctly, it's supposed to be some kind of instinct or something."

"Whatever," Hayley grumbled, giving Stefan another glare for good measure. "Just don't get in my way. And do not kill anyone who I tell you not kill or you'll have me to deal with."

"You know that I killed a whole bunch of Klaus' hybrids back in Mystic Falls, right? So, you're threatening me, not really frightening," Stefan explained with a smug smile as he fell into step with Hayley. She was already regretting not telling him to go to hell or at least trying to kill him. Who cares if Klaus liked him? He could find a new friend or whatever Stefan was to him. More like a lackey and it wasn't like Klaus was in short supply of people who would do his bidding once the Francesca problem was dealt with.

When she couldn't stand the silence of the sound of Stefan's tuneless whistling anymore, Hayley broke down and spoke. "You know that you're not exactly building a case for yourself?"

"You mean with the whole making it clear that if I wanted to kill you at any time you wouldn't stand a chance?" Stefan quipped lightly. "I know."

"What exactly is wrong with you? I heard you were one of the white hats?" Hayley growled, stopping and turning to look Stefan in the eye with her arms folded over her chest.

Stefan's expression darkened for a moment as he looked around him. "Dead brother. That's what happened to me. I would ask how you got turned into a hybrid but I don't really care… about anything really." Kicking at a spot on the ground, Stefan sighed. "Is there anywhere that we could get a drink at?"

"Yeah, Rousseau's, but they're closed," Hayley retorted with a sigh. She could go for a drink, or a thousand considering how shitty the day was turning out to be. And if she was going to have to deal with Stefan and his pain along with her own then she might as well do it while not knowing her own damned name.

Stefan shook his head with another chuckle. Hayley frowned, not understanding what it was that he found to be so funny. "And a bar being closed is stopping you why? You're a vampire now, Hayley, you've got to think outside the box. Man, what have Klaus and Elijah been teaching you? You think that if someone was going to turn you they'd at least take the time to train you. Not that my sire did. Nope, Katherine had more important things to do like saving her own skin."

"Klaus didn't turn me," Hayley offered. Why she told Stefan anything was beyond her. She did not like him. She did not trust him. And if she told him anything about Hope then she would be putting her child into danger. But since it wasn't exactly a secret that she had a hybrid baby she figured that someone would offer up the info sooner or later.

"Huh? So, you just magically turned into a vampire?" Stefan called over his shoulder as he moved faster toward the quarter. He seemed intent on getting to a bar for some reason.

"No, it's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you what happened after I have a beer," Hayley said when she caught a familiar smell in the air. Feeling her irritation building, Hayley caught sight of Camille who was just stepping out. "Stef-" Hayley couldn't finish her reproach because Stefan was already speeding toward the human. "Damn it," Hayley muttered under her breath. Why couldn't anyone just not do stupid things like try to kill people she knew?

Feeling frustrated Hayley sped after Stefan who was reaching for Cami's neck. "Stop now, Stefan," Hayley called under her breath hoping that Cami wouldn't hear her and freak out. If the human had no idea what was going on she might not run and cause the vampire to chase her. If she did and Stefan caught up before Hayley… well, Hayley didn't want to think that far ahead.

"Why? She's food." Stefan grunted as he wrapped his fingers around Cami's neck and whirled her around to face Hayley who felt her fangs descend. "I just can't stop feeding."

Hayley tried to think of something that might stop Stefan other than knocking him out cold. "She's Klaus' friend. You know how he feels about people doing things to what he thinks is his," Hayley reasoned as Cami stood utterly still, her eyes huge. 'At least she's not putting up a fight,' Hayley was thinking as Stefan rolled his eyes.

"And I care why? I can find somewhere else to live during my time here. Besides I just don't see Klaus as "Being Friends with Humans" type, do you?"

"You're wrong. I'm…" Camille began. "Well, it's less like a friendship and more like he tells me all of his pain because I'm a therapist. Maybe we could work together, too? If there's anything you would possibly want to talk about?"

Sighing heavily, Stefan placed his head on Cami's shoulder waiting until she inclined her head to meet his eyes. "Yeah. I've got loads of material for a good therapy session. Or in this case about a thousand. But you see the problem is that I don't want to talk about my pain… All I want from you is to drain you until you head hits the ground and I go find something more entertaining than the sound of your voice." Finishing his speech, Stefan sank his fangs into Cami's neck who screamed.

Hayley cursed under her breath before speeding toward Stefan who threw her off when he tossed Cami at her. "What is wrong with you?" the hybrid snarled at the vampire who wiped his mouth.

"Needed to get that after taste of wolf out of my mouth," Stefan replied with a smile as he rocked on his heels. "Now, how about you," he nodded at Cami who was pressing her hand to her neck wound, "reopen the bar so that we can have a drink."

"Why don't you go to hell?" Cami snarled back.

"Ah, come on? I barely drained an artery. It can't be that bad? You live in a town full of vampires. There's no way that was the first time that someone fed from you. So just be a nice, little human, and let us in. That way I don't have to do anything like draining another artery 'cause you really kind of upset me with the whole wanting to talk to me about my pain. I'm a really private person," Stefan told Cami with his head cocked, tapping his chin. "Or was it that I ate a private person? Do you think that after you eat someone that you'll have their thoughts? That would be freaky, am I right?"

"Who is this guy?" Cami whispered to Hayley as she withdrew a ring of keys with a shaking hand.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Hayley replied sincerely.

"I heard that," Stefan called from right behind Hayley who turned around and punched him in the nose.

"Ow. That hurt. Damn!" Stefan placed his hand to his nose, moving it back into proper position with a sickening crack as Cami opened the door to the bar. "And we're in. Thank you so much. What's you name again?"

"You didn't ask for it the first time," Cami snapped drily as she made her way behind the bar top.

Striding across the bar, Stefan pulled out a stool and stood to the side, waiting for Hayley to sit down. She ignored him and headed further down the bar and took a different seat. This did not seem to bother Stefan as he came to sit down beside her. Directing his gaze toward Cami, who was pulling out three shot glasses and setting them on the bar top he started in again, "Let me guess what your name is… Jenny?"

Cami rolled her eyes as she poured a shot and downed it before pouring one for Hayley and then one for Stefan, "Try again."

"Susie?" Stefan said which caused Hayley to laugh. "Okay not Susie. How 'bout Lily?"

Refilling the three glasses, Cami leaned against the back of the bar as far out of reach from Stefan as she could get. "You're incredibly bad at this game."

"Yeah, well, I've got to do something to kill time," Stefan replied with a roll of his eyes and a smile. "Let me see. You look like one of those women that should be on Friends. Phoebe? Rachel? Monica?"

After Stefan guessed the wrong name for the fiftieth time they decided to make it a drinking game. After the sixtieth wrong answer they started to try to rename each other. That's how Stefan found out what Cami's real name was when he tried to rename her Carrie and she told him. "No, it's Cami." This caused all three to start laughing like this was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

"Okay, so we need to find our Friends names," Cami enthused. "Okay, so I think that Stefan will have to be Chandler if Chandler were a psycho vampire. And, Hayley, you're, ummm, Rachel."

"How am I Rachel?" Hayley inquired.

"Well, you're not Monica because you're not that much of a control freak. So that means that Klaus is Monica," Cami told them and that was as far as they got because Stefan and Hayley kept saying that Klaus was Monica, followed by hysterical laughter and taking more shots. The three were found the next morning with Hayley lying across the bar top. Stefan asleep on his stool and Cami behind the bar, snoring.

**Thank you to everyone who has read, faved, followed and/or reviewed. **

**Answers to review questions: **

**Guest: There will be much more to this story because this was kind of a "lost summer" of what could have happened if Stefan had come to NOLA on his own and it's thanks to Rune Saint's challenge. **

**Guest: Thank you and I will. **

**Aria Daughter of Chaos: I will, I promise. **

**Lea: Merci. **

**Guest: Oui. **

**Peace, **

**Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. It's that time for more Hayfan. On with the show…**

Chapter 3: In an Unfeeling State of Mind

Stefan was singing. Not to anyone in particular. He was just singing to himself. Not that Bon Jovi shit that his alter ego, Mr. Hero Hair would sing. No, Stefan was singing about death. And since he couldn't think of the exact lyrics of the tune, he was making it up. "I'm gonna suck you dry," he crooned to a young tourist as he held her head in his lap. "'Til you die-ie-ie," he continued as a bottle went sailing at his head.

"Enough!' his new drinking buddy, Hayley Marshall, snarled from her corner of the bar. They found a place on the fringes of NOLA where they could party without having to deal with anyone by the name of Guererra or who had anything to do with "that bitch's pack," as Hayley so warmly referred to them.

"Stop the damned singing!" Hayley shouted as Stefan began again. She was holding her head between her hands with tears in her eyes.

Tossing the head to the floor, Stefan strode over to kneel before Hayley. He took her hands and looked her in the eye with a warm, but slightly craven smile. "Hey, sunshine. Don't look so down," he murmured as the young hybrid shook her head.

"My baby's gone," Hayley sobbed and Stefan shook his head. He wished that he had been able to convince her to turn it all off. It would make everything so much easier, for both of them. "She's _gone_, Stefan. And I miss her _so_, so much." Hayley looked at Stefan with wide eyes and tears sticking to her lashes.

Stefan continued to stroke her head, smoothing her hair behind her ears before he pulled her face closer and brushed his lips against hers. If he couldn't get her to shut off her emotions; then he might be able to distract her in other ways. Pulling her body flush to his, Stefan yanked at her tank top, ripping the fabric in two as she yanked his t-shirt over his head. He grinned as she began to furiously tug the rest of his clothes off, pushing him to his back and mounting him. Yeah, this was a good idea.

Several hours later, Stefan laid with his hands wrapped in Hayley's curls, watching her staring at the ceiling with a blank look. He wondered if she were still worried about her child. She hadn't given him the full details, but he didn't really care. If she wanted to keep her life to herself, then so be it. It wasn't like he was going to be that sympathetic since, hey, he didn't feel a damned thing. No more grief, and that felt damned good.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Stefan asked Hayley, twirling a curl around his finger and tugging, so that she would look back at him.

When Hayley did look back, Stefan saw a reflection of the bottomless pit of nothingness that he felt. Only he had a feeling that it wasn't because she had turned her emotions off. He thought it was more likely that she was shoving down into the bottom of an internal well. Yeah, she had done that. And no one was going to be reaching her any time soon.

Smiling, Stefan pressed his lips to Hayley's again, running his tongue over the contours on her mouth. "Mmm…" the female hybrid moaned. She reached out and yanked him closer so that his body fell on top of hers. He could work with this side of her. If she wanted to use him as a distraction, he wasn't going to complain.

They only broke apart when she heard a cry of shock from somewhere near the front of the bar. Hayley shoved Stefan to the side and got up. She didn't bother to try to cover herself up as she sped across the floor. Bracing herself on an elbow, Hayley reappeared with a werewolf. "This is one of them," she growled, throwing the wolf to his knees. "This is one of the idiots who turned on my people."

Examining the frightened looking pup, Stefan leaned closer, sniffing the

wolf who looked to be about twenty something. The boy tried to scramble backwards, away from Stefan who grinned widely before grabbing the kid by his shirt collar lifting him to his feet. "Smells like desert," Stefan said watching the kid's eyes widen.

"No. Please. I'll… I'll help you. I was trying to get away from the Guerrera's. They're nuts. Francesca. She's power hungry. And she has no idea what she's doing. She's going to get everyone killed," the kid was telling Hayley who had grabbed Stefan's discarded shirt and flung it over her head. "I can help you. I can help you take her down. I know others who don't want to follow her anymore. They're sorry. We were wrong. We should have never turned on you, Hayley. Please. Forgive us."

"Should have thought of that before," Stefan told the kid about to drive his hand into the boy's chest and rip his heart out.

"Stefan. Wait!" Hayley ordered. She held up a hand and moved in front of the kid who looked relieved at Stefan backed off. The vampire in the room didn't go far. He only walked a foot away to scoop up his pants and to pull them on. Heading behind the bar, he found three glasses and filled them with bourbon. Tossing two shots down the bar, he watched Hayley grab both and offer one to the traitor.

"Okay. Talk," Hayley told the kid as Stefan hopped over the bar top with a bottle and a glass of his own. He headed over to take a seat beside the werewolf and watched the kid who tensed up. Stefan did not mind that the kid didn't seem to like him; he was going to die soon, one way or the other.

"Francesca has these plans. She says that we can take out the Originals still. She doesn't seem to get it. You can't kill the Originals. But that's all she can think about. I think she's paranoid. I heard her talking to her brothers about how your family blames her for the death of your baby and how Klaus and Elijah are planning on killing her the first chance they get. When she saw me listening in, she slammed the door in my face," the kid said, looking from Hayley to Stefan as he told his tale.

"Okay. And how does she think she's going to kill them?" Hayley asked with a wary look.

"She thinks that she can get ahold of a white oak stake. Or use magic. Whatever it takes. She doesn't care if she has to kill half the town as long as Klaus and Elijah are dead. And you. She really, really wants you dead. I guess she's still worried about your claim as the last of the Labanoirs," the kid continued, running his hand through his short brown hair.

"Yeah. I would want me dead, too. But she's not going to get her wish," Hayley muttered. "One more question. Then you have a little break," she informed the kid with smile.

"Okay. Anything. What?" the kid was a little too eager to talk and Stefan was beginning to wonder if this was some kind of trap. Perking his ears up, he listened for any odd sounds but didn't hear anyone in the immediate vicinity. That didn't mean anything. The wolves who were drawing their power from Klaus could be here. Anyone who was working for them could be here. Easing off his seat, Stefan headed toward the windows. He didn't see much but that did not ease his sense of foreboding.

"Where is Francesca, right now?" Hayley asked the kid who gulped. Then Stefan knew just as the first Molotov cocktail went flying through the window. "Son of a bitch," Hayley shouted when the kid bolted for the back door.

Hayley went to chase after him but Stefan caught her by the waist. "No. Not that way!" he shouted when the backdoor erupted in flame.

They looked around as a voice taunted them from outside. "Come out and play, Hayley," a female voice called with a laugh.

Hayley growled. "Francesca!"

Feeling the heat from the fire coming closer to them, Stefan looked for an exit. It looked like every single window or door was blocked by a wolf. That wouldn't be a problem for Hayley, but it could be a problem for Stefan. "The basement," he whispered.

"Are you nuts?" Hayley snapped. "We'll be trapped and they make S'mores while we're cooking down there."

"Trust me," Stefan replied. Hayley gave him a long look before she took his hand and they sped downstairs where the smoke was not choking them. Not that they needed to breath but it was a relief to not inhale the poisonous fumes so that he could think clearly. Looking around, Stefan spotted a small window without a guard. Stefan grinned while moving toward the window. "Over here," he whispered to Hayley who had also been looking for an escape route.

The hybrid's eyes were glowing yellow as her head spun toward Stefan and then upward to the window that he was pointing at. It would barely be big enough for him to squeeze through but it would have to do. Hayley stalked over to the window and leapt upward, shoving the window open and crawling through.

Soon, Stefan joined Hayley out in the growing twilight of what would be considered a beautiful summer's night if they weren't trying to survive a pack of psychotic wolves. "Let's go," Stefan called to Hayley quietly. He was reaching for her hand to find empty air. "Hayley?" he called; then realized that she had gone after Francesca. Damn his luck. And all he had wanted was a relaxing night of feeding and no-strings-attached sex. Leave it to the hybrid to make the night more interesting.

Rolling his eyes, Stefan headed around the side of the building to encounter Hayley, surrounded by more than a dozen wolves that used to be part of her pack. "Now that's not fair. Fourteen against one? And a lady to boot? Where are your manners?" Stefan taunted, drawing the attention of the group.

The leader of the group spared Stefan a fleeting glance before returning to glare at Hayley. "Are you ready to die?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Not today, bitch," Hayley snarled, her fangs bared as the woman that Stefan presumed to be Francesca Guerrera, Hayley's top nemesis, launched herself at the hybrid. Hayley went tumbling backwards so that the two were rolling around on the asphalt. Stefan wasn't worried. He had a feeling that Hayley could handle herself. In the meantime, he had ten angry wolves that had now set their attention on him,

"Here doggy, doggy," Stefan taunted the closest wolf to him, a huge man with black hair hanging down to his shoulders. He must have weighed about fifty to eighty pounds more than Stefan which did not bother the vampire one bit. "Who wants a treat?" he asked, baring his fangs.

Damon stood beside Stefan, shaking his head with his casual smirk. "Oh, brother. You're really trying to join me in the afterlife, aren't you? Here's a clue. It's not all it's cracked up to be. For one thing, they don't have bourbon here. So, you better start thinking about your long time plans 'cause doing this, ain't gonna bring me back."

"Shut up, Damon," Stefan growled.

"Who's Damon? Your lover?" the wolf shouted as his friends laughed while Stefan circled the wolf, looking for signs of weakness. He favored his right side. Moving quickly. Stefan hit the wolf in the left side of his rib cage and then swept backwards. The wolf groaned but other than that, there seemed to be no damage.

"You're not so smart, vampire," the wolf said, licking his lips. "Maybe I'll make you into my bitch tonight."

Nodding, Stefan smiled. "Yeah. Sorry. Not my thing. But maybe you should ask one of your pals since you're all going to be in the same place tonight."

"Oh, and where will that be, dancing on your dead body?" the wolf asked with a feral smile.

"Don't know about that. But I would say that you'll be in the bar, or what's left of it," Stefan tilted his head at the still burning bar.

"Oh, and how do you figure that?" the wolf asked. "Do you think you're going to live through this, little vampire?"

"Yeah. I do," Stefan replied.

"How?" the wolf asked.

"Because I don't have anything to live for. Which means I don't give a damn about anything. Can you say the same?" Stefan asked and he watched as the wolf's eyes ticked over to a little blonde wolf. She looked to be about seventeen. Hero hair might feel guilty about this next move, but not this version of Stefan.

Before the large wolf could move, Stefan was standing in front of the burning bar with the little blonde wolf. He held a fist full of her hair in his hand. "She smells kind of rank, but I'm not really picky about my meat as long as it's well-done," Stefan proclaimed when he tossed the girl into the flames. He could hear her screaming for her uncle Patrick and then, nothing at all.

"No!" Patrick, the big wolf shouted in horror. Then his eyes glowed with rage as he came flying at Stefan who flung one hand swiftly into the wolf's chest, digging through the bone and muscle and yanking the heart out. He tossed it into the flames before signaling for the rest of the pack to come his way. Only two more dared to challenge him as he flew through the air, tearing their limbs off and their heads. When he was done, he was covered in blood and screaming with joy. He hadn't felt this good in a long, long time. Life was good. But delivering death to his enemies was even better. Turning to see Hayley hitting the ground, Stefan sped to her side, dropping to one knee and glaring at the pack leader.

Francesca seemed to have taken as good as she doled out. Her face was full of half-healed scratch marks and there was blood that had dripped onto her shirt and pants. Her chest was heaving from exertion and there was a sleeve clinging from her shirt by a thread. "Are you ready to give up, Hayley? Or do you and your little vampire have to die in the fight? I have Klaus' power. I can do this all day. Can you say the same?"

"Really? You don't look like you were winning from where I'm standing," Stefan commented with a grin.

Francesca laughed as she looked at him. "You're obviously new in town and have no idea how much power I have."

"I just killed ten of your puppies. What kind of army do you think will stand behind you when you keep losing numbers like that every night?" Stefan questioned the wolf while Hayley watched the two with her hand curled into fists. He knew she wanted to continue fighting, but he could also tell that she was tired from the way she was struggling to stand up straight.

"Maybe you are right," Francesca replied thoughtfully. "But I wouldn't put my money on you not fighting for the losing side. Mr.?"

"Salvatore. Stefan Salvatore," Stefan didn't believe that this wolf having his name would make a difference one way or the other.

"Yes, I heard of you. As well as your loss. Word spreads quickly in the supernatural world. My condolences, Stefan. Let me know if you fight for those who will be ruling New Orleans for some time and I promise you, you will have a very powerful family to be a part of." With that the wolf disappeared into the night.

When they were sure that Francesca was gone, Hayley fell into Stefan's arms and he got a closer look at the gaping wound that was healing. It looked like Hayley had nearly lost her heart in the battle. "Take me home, Stefan," she moaned, closing her eyes.

"Where's home?" Stefan asked.

"The compound," Hayley said and then fell asleep as Stefan hauled her off her feet and into his arms. Looks like he would be talking to Klaus a lot sooner than he had anticipated.

**Thank you reading, faving, following and for reviewing. **

**Answers to reviews:**

**Rune Saint: I think that Marcel can be Joey, Caroline can be Phoebe and Elijah or Rebekah can be Ross. That took a couple of minutes to figure out. **

**Guest: Thanks. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. It's been awhile and this update is brought to you by LightDragon367 and Steroline and Stelena. On with the show…**

Chapter 4: Friend or Enemy?

Walking into the compound, Hayley felt like ripping something, anything apart. This was her first thought as she wiped blood from her forehead. She had awakened in Stefan's arms halfway back to the compound and thought it better to arrive on her own two feet. It would prevent Elijah from giving her one of those judgmental looks she had become accustomed to with him. And with Klaus, the jokes would never end.

"Ah, so this is home sweet home," Stefan let out a whistle while scanning the courtyard with a wide grin.

"What do we have here?" a voice called from the shadows and the devil himself appeared. Hayley rolled her eyes when Klaus stopped a foot from her and her guest. "Hayley, what have you carried back with you? Certainly not a stick. Looks as if it is my old friend, Stefan. How are you, Ripper?" he asked, emphasizing the nickname with a smirk.

"I'm great, Klaus. Thanks for asking. Got anyone to drink?" Stefan quipped, his smile widening.

Klaus' eyes widened a fraction before he turned to Hayley with a wider smile. "And it looks as if you have brought my old mate back to his old self. Good on you. And by the looks of you two, you've been up to some revelry. Can't say I wouldn't wish that I could have joined, but alas, in my current state, that would be impossible."

"Current state?" Stefan scoffed. "You look like you always do. Underdressed and smug." He laughed when Klaus let out a snarl before letting out a laugh of his own.

"Oh, Ripper. I have missed your wit," Klaus said quietly with a dangerous look in his eyes.

"Oh, Klaus. Can't say that I missed you at all," Stefan did not miss a beat on his way toward the stairs. "Where's your room?" he shouted to Hayley who rolled her eyes.

"And why would you need to know that?" Elijah questioned Stefan, appearing in front of him. For a brief moment Hayley feared he would behead her new friend or whatever he was.

"That's for me to know and whatever Damon would have said," Stefan retorted with a grin as he shouldered past Elijah. "I'll find it myself."

Hayley watched Elijah's jaw tighten as his eyes moved from the stairs to her. For a moment she hoped that he was jealous. He deserved to feel jealous or to feel hurt. She was the one who lost her baby and he was the one who turned his back on her when she needed him the most. To hell with him, she thought, hurrying toward the stairs. When she was right in front of Elijah, she paused when he glanced at her, his expression holding no warmth or any sense of recognition.

Feeling tears prick her eyes, Hayley ran up the rest of the stairs and darted into her room, slamming the door closed behind her. Catching her breath, she found Stefan coming in from the bathroom. "Hope Elijah doesn't mind. I borrowed some of his clothes. Looks like Klaus and I don't wear the same size. And I look good in a suit."

Looking at Stefan, Hayley sighed. This was good. He was safe and he made her feel like she could be what she needed to be right now. No judgment. Crossing the room, Hayley yanked the shirt that Stefan had just put on open. Desperately pressing her lips to his, she yanked the pants he was wearing down and was not satisfied until he was on top of her. Groaning, she hissed when he bit into her neck. Running her hands through his hair, she gave his head a yank so that he moved back and she could sink her teeth into his neck. Fighting, feeding, screwing. That's all she needed to make her feel whole right now. And Elijah wasn't providing any of that, but Stefan was. Oh, yes, he was.

An hour later, Hayley was dressing. "Where are you going?" Stefan called, his left eyelid opening lazily.

"I need to go kill something," Hayley muttered.

"Want me to come with?" Stefan inquired, already moving to sit up.

Hayley shook her head. No. She just wanted to be alone right now. She needed to go out and feel the night sky on her skin, to take the form of the wolf when she would be a danger to Stefan. No, she couldn't risk that, not now. Not when she needed so much.

"No, go back to sleep. I'll be back at dawn," Hayley replied, kissing him before walking out the door. Moving away from the door without another word, Hayley slipped into the hallway and toward the stairs. She was met with both Klaus and Elijah. Just what she did not want to deal with. Trying to walk past them without an altercation ensuing, she stopped when Klaus came to stand in her path.

"Going somewhere, Little Wolf?" Klaus inquired with a wide smirk. Hayley tilted her head to catch Elijah swirling a glass of wine and ignoring them. Yeah. That was the new Elijah. He didn't give a damn. Rolling her eyes, Hayley focused on the psycho in front of her face.

"What, Klaus? Come to act like you give a crap? Good for you. But guess what, I have better things to do than talk to you." Shouldering her way past Klaus. Hayley walked away from the older hybrid feeling triumphant until Elijah became the new barrier between her and freedom.

"What, Elijah? Have you decided to join Klaus in Hypocrites are Us? Want to try to stop me from leaving? I dare you!" Hayley snarled allowing her fangs to drop and letting out a snarl.

Elijah did not even blink. "I was simply curious as to why and how you brought Stefan Salvatore, and in his ripper form no less, into our home, Hayley? What could be your motivation? Do you not realize that he is no less volatile than…"

"Than who, Elijah? Me?" Hayley snapped with a mocking smile. "What? Are you afraid that we'll go on a killing spree? Afraid that instead of trying to stop Francesca that I will begin to enjoy the kill? Are you afraid that I'll become a monster? Like you?" When Elijah's mouth twisted downward Hayley knew she had hit a nerve and she was glad. He deserved it.

Walking away, Hayley felt better when she was outside. There was something about that house that could be suffocating. Something about having to deal with Elijah that struck a cord that was already overwrought from the gaping wound that losing her baby had struck. She just couldn't deal with him at the moment. Nor could she deal with Klaus. He was a walking, talking reminder of their loss and she just did not want his company.

This left Stefan. He had not been part of this mess. She didn't look at him and see any memory that had to do with her child. He had not been there during her pregnancy nor the birth. He didn't even know she had had a child. And it was better for it to stay that way. If he ever started to give a damn again he might start giving her that look like she was a broken doll or something like Elijah did. She couldn't stand to see pity directed at her. No, she wanted to see fear. Especially in the eyes of Francesca. She would make her death slow and painful.

Gritting her teeth, Hayley had been headed out of town, toward the bayou when she found she was in fact headed through the French Quarter. Maybe she did want to kill someone. Maybe drinking someone dry would make her feel better, soothe her ache, momentarily, until it returned. Seeing a witch stupidly walking along the street by herself like New Orleans was the safest place on earth, Hayley smiled a mirthless smile.

Following her prey along the sidewalk, Hayley hoped that the girl would walk around a corner. Not that she really cared if she were caught by one of Francesca's people. She could rip their heads off and throw them on her door stoop as a warning of what was to come. When the witch finally made her way around a corner, Hayley shot in front of the girl and then rolled her eyes. "Davina! What are you doing out here at this time of night? Don't you know that it's dangerous?"

Davina shook her head. "Hey, I'm not going to allow them to scare me. And when I need ingredients for a new spell, I pick them up whenever I feel like it."

"Do you want to die?" Hayley hissed. For some reason that she couldn't quite explain the thought of another dead child set her nerves on edge. Davina could be a pain in the ass but she was still a kid and she didn't deserve to die because a wolf got testy one night.

"No, but I'm not going to let them bully me and hurt people I care about," Davina snapped, all fire and defiance. Hayley knew there was a reason that she liked the kid.

"Fine. But I'm walking you home," Hayley replied and Davina shrugged.

"I guess I could use some company. Right now it feels pretty lonely out here with Josh and Marcel out of town."

"How are Josh and Marcel?" Hayley asked. She hadn't thought too much about the exiled vampire king or Davina's BFF in awhile but now she was thinking about what they lost, their home.

"They're okay. I guess. Marcel just wants to be able to come and Josh is terrified that Marcel is going to get them both killed with one of his schemes." Sighing, Davina looked up at Hayley. "Do you…? Do Klaus and Elijah…? Do any of you have a plan to put a stop to this? Because if you do, I'm in. I want this town back just much as much as any of you do," she said quietly. "It's not right to have to fear those right behind you. I mean it was bad enough when it was just the Mikaelsons, but now, it's just a free for all and it makes me sick!"

"I know, Davina. Eventually we will find a way to stop them. When is the question," Hayley became quiet when the young witch came to stop in front of her door. "You know, you could come stay with me and… Yeah," she smiled at her own comments, knowing that living with Klaus, again, would be the last thing that Davina wanted. But it would be nice to have another friendly face.

Davina was already shaking her head. "Sorry, Hayley, but I have enough problems. I do not plan on making living with Satan one of them. I'll see you around." The witch turned her back and went into the building she was staying in, leaving Hayley alone, as usual.

Turning to the street, Hayley trudged further into the darkness. Soon she was running at full speed toward the bayou. It didn't take long before she was on all fours and looking for prey. Anything, anything at all. Seeing a bird, Hayley stalked it before easily grabbing it with her teeth. She tore the poor thing apart, listening to its cries of pain and then blessed silence. She wondered what Francesca's cries of pain would sound like? Would she beg for mercy? Stupid bitch.

By the time the sun was up, Hayley had killed several other woodland creatures. And when she rose to her feet, she found herself wandering back to town, feeling a little more relaxed. That didn't last long when she ran into a witch that she could kill. The woman barely fought back. That was kind of sad to Hayley when she sunk her fangs into the other woman's throat. The only bright side- there were more where that one came from.

Two more witches came out hiding when they heard the other one's death moans. "Who's next?" Hayley asked with a smile that if she were looking in a mirror she would realize looked a little too much like Klaus for comfort.

The idiots came to her, thinking that they could win this fight by making her brain vessels pop. No, it just made her angrier. And just when Hayley thought that was impossible. "Okay, come here," she snarled after tearing into the second witch. The third was trying to run away when Hayley sped in front of her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

The witch looked relieved until Hayley added the last part. "No, you're a gift for my new friend," she told the witch who let out a scream before Hayley punched her and she went down, hard. Tilting her head to the side, Hayley shook her head. Somehow she thought the witches of the French Quarter were more powerful. Oh, well.

Sighing, Hayley hauled her prize down the streets, ignoring Francesca's henchman on her way. They knew not to mess with her if they wanted all their limbs to stay intact. She hated it when she had to kill her own, but they made their choice and she was making hers.

When she got to the gates of the compound, she could hear people talking, Standing in the shadows, she tuned her hearing to the sounds of Klaus, Elijah and… Stefan? Frowning, she heard Elijah being Elijah and trying to control the conversation, working an angle. What the angle was, Hayley was sure it was not to her advantage. Klaus was speaking quietly and more soberly than she was used to. Apparently they were working on a plan to kill Francesca, without her? What was wrong with them?

Hayley was about to announce her presence when she heard her name being used. "You will keep an eye on Hayley and inform us of any danger she places herself in, won't you, Stefan?" Elijah made it sound like Stefan had a choice in the matter but Hayley knew him better than that. He was freakin' compelling Stefan to do his dirty work. Shaking her head, Hayley was going to leave when she heard Klaus add something that made her blood boil.

"Yes, Ripper, do keep an eye on Hayley. And if you happen to be in the mood to keep her from any foolhardy heroics. We need her alive. Or so my brother thinks," she could almost hear his smirk when Elijah growled at him. "Now, now, Elijah. I care just as much. Well, no, actually a bit less than you do. But she is after all, part of our little family now. So, I do plan taking whatever steps necessary to ensure that she is safe, even from herself. Stefan, you are to use whatever force is necessary to stop her. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Yes, Klaus," Stefan stated.

Hayley felt like walking in there and kicking all of their asses. Rebekah was right when she warned Hayley about the Mikaelson men. Now they had Stefan and there was nothing that Hayley could do short of kidnapping him and draining the vervain out of his system which now that she thought about it wasn't such a bad idea.

Shaking her head, Hayley dropped the unconscious witch to the ground before striding away from the compound. Right now Stefan was her enemy and she would have to figure out a way to deal with him before his compulsion made life harder for her. Maybe she would go to stay with Davina rather than the other way around. Walking down Bourbon Street, Hayley felt alone in the world again.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Answers to guest reviews: **

**Guest: Thank you. **

**Katie: Merci beaucoup! **

**Guest: They are an interesting pairing. **

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**Peace, **

**Jessica**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. I'm trying to get things updated it's just taking longer than expected. On with the show…**

Chapter 5: Get the Hell Out of My Life

Davina Claire was already up and working on a new incantation by the time that Hayley forced herself out of bed. She hadn't really seen a point in getting out of bed at all. But listening to Davina moving throughout the little apartment kept Hayley from falling back to sleep. The pounding of the witch's blood through her veins made Hayley's fangs elongate. She needed to feed. Soon.

"Good morning. Or afternoon, really," Davina laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear and looking like the teen she was for a second. Hayley wondered what Davina's life would look like if she were a normal girl. For one thing, she would be in high school at this hour of the day on this day of the week. She would probably be talking to her friends about a boy she liked. She would be blissfully unaware of the monsters that walked beside her.

Hope would have a semi-normal life if Rebekah raised her. Or at least that was what Hayley wished for her baby girl. To live, free of this horror show. Just be normal and happy and healthy, Hayley whispered inwardly, feeling tears prick at the back of her eyelids before she forced herself to talk to Davina. "I'm going out. I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Davina said. Her eyes were glowing and she did not seem to register being in the same room as Hayley.

Hayley shook her head. She really was happy she had not been born a witch. Heading out of the apartment, she only made it a block away when an arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I missed you last night." Stefan muttered into her ear, his voice low, his tongue darting out and licking her earlobe. She could smell blood on him.

"You shouldn't wear your food," Hayley snapped, shrugging him off.

Stefan let out a chuckle. "What's got your panties in a twist?" he called after her. "If you're wearing any. Please, tell me you're not. That would make things so much easier."

Hayley whirled around on her heel. "Make what easier?" she snarled at him.

Grinning, Stefan grabbed her, yanking her around a corner and shoving her back against the brick wall of an alleyway. "This," he said, his hands tugging her pants down and she slapped him.

"Get off of me!" Hayley yelled, balling up her fist to hit Stefan.

"Hey! Come on. I thought you liked me. Not that I care. Because, honey, I don't give a damn about much of anything." Stefan shook his head backing off.

Hayley pulled her pants back up. "I'm not in the mood. Alright. I have things on my mind."

"Like killing the bitch who killed your kid?" Stefan inquired. "Sorry. You're not allowed to. Not yet anyway."

"Why?" Hayley retorted, glaring at Stefan.

Opening his mouth, Stefan's face went blank. "Not a clue. It's just not something you can do."

"Come on, Stefan, give me one good reason that I can't go find Francesca and rip her freakin' head off?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"I don't know. I mean, it sounds like a plan. So I have no idea why I'm saying no. I just know I have to… Shit! Someone compelled me. Let me guess: Elijah? Or was it Klaus?" Stefan shook his head. "You want to do the honors of bleeding me dry or do you want to?"

Rolling her eyes, Hayley shook her head. "It's probably best to make them think they're still in control."

Stefan looked disappointed. "I think it might be a turn on if you tortured me. Bring us closer together. You know that old song that goes you only hurt the ones you love." Stefan smiled and Hayley shook her head at him not knowing which one of them was more messed up.

"Yeah. Sure. Okay. Let's go. I need to feed," Hayley told Stefan who fell into step with her. They left the alleyway to find Oliver waiting for them.

"Hey there, Hayley, ah, look, you made a new friend. Wonder how you'll feel when I kill him?" Oliver inquired with a slow smile.

"I wonder how you'll feel when I'm feeding you your own tongue?" Stefan asked in a mocking tone before he launched himself at Oliver.

Of course Oliver hadn't come alone. Such a damned coward, Hayley thought resentfully. Why was it that Jackson felt such a bond with him? Watching Stefan kick and punch Oliver would have given her greet satisfaction but killing someone would give her more. Grabbing the first wolf that came at her, she slammed her knee into his solar plexus before placing her hands together and slamming her balled hands across his spine, severing it and then finished him off by ripping his head off, kicking it away in disgust. "Who's next?" she shouted at them.

Hayley only killed two more wolves before the rest of the traitors ran off, tails tucked between their legs. She hated this. She hated hurting her people. But they weren't hers anymore. Francesca had seen to that. Looking to Stefan she saw he had Oliver in a headlock, about to rip his head off. "Stefan, stop!" she yelled.

"Why?" Stefan looked confused.

Hayley stomped over and grabbed a fistful of Oliver's blond locks in her hand. "Go back and tell that bitch that I'm going to take my home back and that the last face she will ever see will be mine just before I kill her."

"Right. Fine. Let me go," Oliver cried, looking up at her, his blue eyes wide. She did not feel merciful but she had to be to show that she was not Francesca. She did not feed off the terror and humiliation of her people.

"Let him go," Hayley ordered Stefan who looked bored before dropping Oliver to his knees and giving him a kick.

"Go, boy. Try to dig up some brains," Stefan shouted after Oliver as the wolf ran away from them.

"Was that really necessary?" Elijah called, coming to stand in front of Hayley with a look of disapproval that made Hayley growl. "This is quite a mess you've left her. Out in the open. Hayley, I know that you are new to being a vampire, but you must learn to curb your appetite for destruction lest you expose us."

"Don't you have a centuries old feud to deal with or a musty old book to stick your nose in?" Hayley questioned Elijah. "I'm fine. I've got my babysitter with me." She hooked a thumb at Elijah while Stefan waved at him with a grin.

Elijah sighed heavily. "Where were you last night?"

"Like you care," Hayley snapped, shouldering past him. "Stefan, let's go. There's nothing here for us and we might expose Elijah as being something more than bureaucrat."

Stefan followed Hayley down the sidewalk and into Rousseau's. Cami stood behind the bar, filling the glasses of the clueless tourists. Taking a seat at the end of the bar, Hayley caught Cami's eye who smiled at her before heading over. "Hey," Cami greeted Hayley and Stefan. "You two look like you've been having fun," she told them, examining their clothes that had drying blood on them. "You know, you might want to be a little more careful. It's not Halloween."

Hayley nodded. "You're probably right, Cami, but I already got a lecture from Elijah and I'm not really in the mood. So can we get to bourbons and not talk about it."

"Coming right up," Cami filled two glasses while Stefan examined a pulsing vein in the neck of the young woman next to him. "Don't kill anyone in here." The blonde bartender ordered Stefan, who gave her an innocent smile.

"The thought never entered my mind," Stefan told Cami who gave him an I-Don't-Believe-You-But-I'm-Not-In-The-Mood-To-Argue look.

"I'd love to stay and chat but I'm late for an appointment with my advisor and I'm never going to finish my degree if I don't keep up appearances. They don't take my friends are vampires and my town is being run by a psychotic werewolf as a good excuse." Cami grabbed a sweater and headed out of the bar.

Stefan watched Cami go before turning to the girl to his right. "Hi there. Where are you from?" he asked her conversationally.

"I'm from Iowa," the girl said, smiling at Stefan as he grinned back at her.

Hayley tuned the two out. She felt like she might be going crazy with all of the tension coursing through her body. All she wanted to do was pick a fight with someone and to tear her way through the bar. It wouldn't take much with so many people being under the influence. She could even compel people to fight each other. It would be so easy. But that would be too much like Klaus. She didn't ever want to be like Klaus. To use people for her own entertainment and to be cruel just because she could. People were not there for their amusement. Cami reminded her of that. One good thing about having a human friend; it kept you grounded. To an extent.

Looking up, Hayley realized that Stefan and the girl were gone. Getting up, she looked around to find that she could not see them. She walked to the back of the bar, listening for anything and everything. Then she heard it, the sound of gulping and the girl whimpering in pain. Hayley stepped inside the men's room and slammed the door to one of the stalls open with her right boot. "What in the hell are you doing?" she demanded, feeling the veins begin to pulse under her eyes at the sight of the girl's blood running down the side of her neck.

"There's more if you want some," Stefan said, whirling the girl around and shoving her into Hayley's arms.

Hayley felt her fangs drop and she looked the terrified girl in the eyes. For a moment she saw her own daughter and she let out a strangled hiss before gaining control. "You feed on a beer bottle. You need to get to the hospital. Go!" she compelled the girl and then let her go.

Stefan deflated. "Man, is that what Elijah does to you. He says something and you just deflate like some sad blow-up clown?" Shaking his head, Stefan walked out of the stall.

"It's not about Elijah. I could care less what he thinks," Hayley snapped.

"Sure you do," Stefan rolled his eyes.

Hayley felt irritated. Grabbing Stefan by the shirt collar, she kissed him and then reached for his belt buckle. Stefan lifted her onto the counter, pulling her shirt over her head. His hands were yanking at her bra straps when a guy came in. "Oh, man, sorry." The guy let out a nervous laugh, moving to leave when Hayley shoved Stefan away and sped toward the young man, lacing her fingers into his jacket, tugging him all the way into the bathroom. "Umm…" He gave her a questioning look.

"Stay," Hayley commanded the man.

"I'm not really into threesomes. At least not this kind," the man said, letting out a nervous laugh when Hayley pushed him against the counter, pressing her body against his. He let out another nervous laugh as she placed her mouth to his neck.

"It's okay. I like to watch," Stefan said as Hayley's left hand slid up the young man's neck and his hands went to her hips, turning them around and lifting her on the counter. His hand went to her breast and she shoved it off before opening her mouth wide and sinking her teeth into his neck. He let out a cry of pain. Her free hand closed over his mouth as he began to scream and she wanted to stop but he tasted too good.

When the young man fell to the dirty floor, Hayley slid her tongue over her lips. She felt guilty because killing him was not necessary. He wasn't one of her enemies. She could have fed, compelled him and sent him on his way. That's what Elijah would have told her to do. But who was she kidding? She knew he had killed his fair share of humans. Why did he want her to be better? What did that even mean?

Stefan moved forward, shoving the body out of the way with his foot before he reached for Hayley, yanking her off the counter and into the stall he had been in earlier. He slammed the door shut and Hayley did not stop him this time when he yanked her pants down. She cried out with pleasure as he pushed his body closer and closer to hers. Riding the highs of a fresh feed and wild sex.

It felt like hours before another unsuspecting tourist came into the bathroom and they yanked the man into the stall, sharing this one. Soon, there was a small pile of bodies in the bathroom. Cami would not be happy with this behavior.

Exiting the bathroom, Hayley and Stefan walked out of the bar and down the street. "I'm going to head back to the place I'm staying."

"And that would be?" Stefan prodded.

"Better that you don't know so you can't be compelled to tell," Hayley replied, kissing Stefan once more.

"True," Stefan nodded, kissing her back. He headed back toward the compound and Hayley headed toward Davina's place. She noticed a young man watching her from a corner where he stood, eating an apple. Nothing about him said danger. But the way that he was staring made her skin crawl. Hayley started to head across the street when he turned around and walked away.

Shaking her head, Hayley continued on her way toward Davina's. Marching up the steps, she sniffed the air. Blood. Davina's blood. Running, Hayley began to pound on the door. "Davina!" she yelled. No one answered. Lifting her right leg, she kicked the door in and then stared at the mess. Someone had been in here. The place was trashed. "Davina!" Hayley shouted, moving through the three rooms of the apartment in seconds. "Davina," she said quietly when she spotted a note.

"Do not touch my people and not expect repercussions," the note said.

"Damn you, Francesca!" Hayley howled and then her feet pounded out of the apartment, falling heavily on the stairs and out, onto the sidewalk. She made her way toward the compound, entering the gate, fury pouring out of her. Not another child. No, no more children would be hurt because of the Mikaelson's family drama. Or hers.

"Elijah! Klaus! Stefan!" Hayley shouted, balling the note in her fist.

"What now, Little Wolf?" Klaus demanded as Hayley shoved the crumpled piece of paper into his chest while Elijah came to stand beside his brother, peering at the note and Stefan appeared with a bottle of blood and possibly champagne in hand. "Ah, it seems as though our favorite witch has become bait. What shall we do?" Klaus smirked. "Or, should I say, what shall you lot do?"

"Kill the bitch!" Hayley snarled.

"Yes, I would say that we might have to," Elijah agreed and Hayley gave him a mirthless smile as Stefan popped the bottle open.

"Now that is something to celebrate," Stefan said, taking a swig and handing the bottle to Hayley. "To new murder buddies."

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Answers to guest reviews: **

**Guest: Bonjour! Finally updated. **

**Guest: Bonjour, David! C'est ici! **

**Guest: Sorry about the wait. **

**Peace, **

**Jessica**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. Stefan's humanity is trying to come back: Will he let it? On with the show…**

Chapter 6: Your Humanity is Killing You

The idea of killing off Hayley's nemesis put a spring in Stefan's step. There just wasn't enough fighting going on right now to suit the Ripper. His thirst for blood could never be quenched, nor his desire for brutal violence and something told him that the death of Francesca Guerra would be just that: brutal and violent. He was pleased but Elijah, the uptight one, was not and Stefan could tell he would be a problem.

Elijah stood in the middle of the courtyard with one hand on his hip, the other held up in front of his lips, pursed to speak. "Hayley, I advise you to take a moment, think before going into this…this possible trap. It could get you killed. You have no idea why Francesca took Davina nor do you know what she intends to do or has done with the girl."

"Elijah, can't just stand around, waiting to see what she has planned for us. We need to act now!" Hayley argued, her eyes glowing with the fervor that Stefan admired. Her taste for vengeance fed his own merciless desires.

Klaus decided to intervene. "Brother, if you prefer to sit on the sidelines and watch…" He smirked at Elijah, his gaze flicking to Hayley and Elijah's back stiffened. After only a short time in their company, Stefan could tell that Elijah had feelings for the female hybrid. Stefan thought that was very much not a one-sided thing but she was his for now and that's what counted. Stefan slipped an arm around Hayley's shoulders, watching Elijah narrow his eyes and grinning back at him.

Klaus continued like nothing he did aggravated the tension. "Alas, I can only sit on the sidelines and watch. Be a dear, brother, and be my weapon to crush my enemies." His lips twisted into a smile and Elijah's eyes darkened, becoming wary.

"If that is your wish, Niklaus." Elijah dropped his hand and turned to Hayley and Stefan. "It seems I will be joining you on your hunt. I do so hope this is not a foolish endeavor on our parts." Stepping around Hayley and Stefan, Elijah made his way out of the compound. Hayley took off after him. Stefan followed after them. He could hear Klaus chuckling to himself as he left. It must look like a bad joke and if Stefan's switch weren't flipped he might feel jealous or afraid of losing Hayley but he didn't really care right now. He liked spending time with her, he liked having sex with her, he liked having company but he didn't like her. If he flipped his switch on… Nope. Not going to happen. Not even for her.

Stefan caught sight of Hayley who had caught up with Elijah. They weren't talking to each other or even acknowledging the presence of the other one. But the way they walked, feet hitting the ground at the same time, bodies poised for action, the shear synchronicity of it. Yup. There was something there. An invisible thread, sewing them together as one. Stefan didn't have anyone like that anymore. Damon had been the only person he had ever been that connected to and now he was lost to Stefan. Forever. A twinge of pain hit Stefan like a sucker punch and he forced it down.

"So, where are we going?" Stefan called from behind Hayley and Elijah.

Hayley turned to him, her eyes glazed over, her expression telling him that for a moment she had forgotten all about him. He wondered if she would be disappointed if he just up and disappeared. That bothered him, just a smidgen, not that he couldn't push it away like any thought of Damon.

"We're going to see a friend," Elijah said mysteriously.

Stefan nodded. "Okay." He moved to walk beside Hayley. He could sense her tension and wanted to make a joke about helping her relieve it later but his self-preservation instincts kicked in just in time to note Elijah's eyes pinning him with a glare. Nope, Elijah did not approve. Screw him. Not his life. Sliding his arm around Hayley's waist, Stefan stared back at Elijah, inviting him to start something.

Hayley ignored them both but broke free of Stefan's grasp to walk ahead of the group. She seemed to know exactly where they were going. Once they got there, she yanked a door open and ran up the stairs. Her fist began to pound on the door. "Josh, open up. It's me!" she called.

A sleepy looking baby vampire opened the door, running a hand through his dark hair and standing in a pair of PJs. "Hayley, what's going on?" he asked, then he noticed Elijah and Stefan and backed up. Hayley took that as a sign to walk right on into the boy's apartment.

Stefan followed her inside, hearing a low hiss from Elijah, he grinned. Pissing Elijah off for the duration of his stay might become a hobby. Taking a seat on the edge of the one couch in the room, Stefan watched Hayley stand in front of the baby vampire while Elijah closed the door behind them "Josh, Francesca took Davina," Hayley explained and the boy's mouth fell open.

"What? Why? Davina didn't do anything to her," Josh cried, looking shocked. "Are you sure it wasn't Klaus that took Davina, or someone else, 'cause you know Davina, she sometimes pisses people off." Josh tried to smile but then moved to take a seat on a stool by the breakfast bar. "Man, I can't believe this. Did you tell Marcel? I mean, I don't know how much help he can be but it's Davina. He would give his life for hers."

"I know. That's why we only go to him if we have no other options," Hayley explained.

"Who's Marcel?" Stefan asked them. Josh turned a wide stare on him but didn't speak up. That made Stefan smile. The kid reminded him of Caroline and he bet that if it were just the two of them, it would not take long before Josh would be spilling his life story.

Shaking his head, Elijah gave Josh a look and the younger vampire turned his gaze away from Stefan. He hated being out of the loop even when his humanity was on. "Come on, guys, how can I help if I don't know what you know?" Stefan asked them, placing his hands on his knees with an innocent look.

Elijah narrowed his eyes at Stefan. "Stefan, you only need to know what we decide is useful to you. Nothing more."

"Elijah," Hayley protested, turning to Elijah who just stared back at her. No words were exchanged for several minutes before Hayley backed down. "Fine. Sorry, Stefan," she grimaced before turning back to Josh.

"What do you need me to do?" Josh asked them.

"You could be bait," Stefan suggested.

Again, Elijah and Hayley exchanged a look, leaving Stefan out of their little silent debate. When they came to a consensus after several minutes, Elijah nodded. "Yes, I am afraid I agree with Stefan. Josh, we can use you to lure wolves away from Francesca's home and then Hayley can go inside and look for Davina."

Stefan clapped his hands together. "No time like the present." He walked over to the door, twisting the knob and waiting for the others to follow.

"Josh, you don't have to do this is you don't want to," Hayley told him, placing a hand on his arm and Stefan saw her gaze soften.

"I'm doing it. This is Davina. She saved my life like a bunch. And she's my BFF. My first real one. And I can't just let some she-wolf hurt her. No offense." Josh smiled at Hayley who smiled back at him. Stefan thought that he might be looking at a crack in Hayley's armor. Was this who she was before she lost her kid? Would he need to get away from her before she began to feel more and more emotions and began to trigger his own?

"I wish you were my BFF," Hayley joked as Josh got to his feet.

"Yeah. Don't worry. I have many slots on my dance card for more friends," Josh told Hayley. She smiled again, and, again, Stefan felt a familiar twinge of hope and warmth flutter in his heart. No! he screamed inwardly.

Elijah followed Stefan as Stefan pulled the door open and Stefan led the way out of the building. The Mikaelson brother and Hayley took the lead again, since of their merry little group, they were the only two who knew where Francesca lived. They stopped across the street from a house that did not stand out, proclaiming: Hi, I am the residence of a Big Bad Wolf Bitch—Stefan felt disappointed. You'd think she'd have better taste.

"Okay. Now what?" Josh looked at the others.

"Go ring the doorbell," Hayley ordered Josh, glaring at the house.

Josh sucked in a deep breath and then headed across the street, talking to himself the whole time. "You can do this. Nothing bad is going to happen other than you're going to get bitten like a thousand times by a bunch of feral wolves that hate all vampires. Man, what am I doing? No, this is for Davina. You love Davina; she would kill for you, die for you. So, you're going to march up to that door and ring the doorbell and stop rambling to yourself, right, now."

Yes, Josh definitely reminded him of Caroline which reminded him of friends and family and Elena and Damon and everything he ran away from and oh that really was beginning to sting.

Josh rang the doorbell and that Oliver wolf came out to greet him with his usual cock-sure attitude. Why hadn't they killed him when they had the chance? Well, Stefan did not plan on making the same mistake twice. "What in the hell are you doing here?" Oliver Wolf asked Josh with a shake of his unruly blonde locks and people made fun of Stefan's hair.

"I hear this is the happening place for kidnapping witches," Josh began. "And seeing as my friend, Davina, you might know her, she's about yay high," Josh lifted his hand to two inches below his shoulder. "Pretty, smart, feisty, says you like to hit on her. So, I thought you might know where she is."

Oliver Wolf took a step outside, forcing Josh to a take a step back. "Yeah. I might know something. What's it worth to ya?"

"Worth? Like money?" Josh's voice had risen and Stefan could hear the fear there. He would feel bad for him if he felt much of anything at all.

Oliver Wolf let out a chuckle. "Man, you should see your face. No, dummy, I don't take money from your kind. I think I'd rather just kill you. Boys, we got a vampire who wants to see his witch. Let's bring him up…in about twenty pieces."

Five other wolves came out of the house and Stefan wondered how many were still inside the house. "Party time!" one of the wolves said as Josh scrambled back down the stairs, trying to get away from them.

"Hey, don't run away. No, do run! We like to chase!" Oliver said with a harsh laugh before his eyes began to glow.

"I think you should reconsider your terms," Elijah called and Oliver turned to see Elijah and Stefan coming toward the wolves while Josh ran behind Elijah. The kid was not a fighter. That was fine with Stefan, he could do all the fighting for both of them.

Hayley snuck behind the wolves standing on Francesca's front lawn, slipping in through the open front door; that was the signal. Stefan moved quickly, landing on Oliver and knocking him to the ground. Elijah began fighting with three wolves which was unfair to the wolves. They did not seem to realize who they were fighting and soon found their hearts clutched in his hands.

Stefan punched and kicked Oliver with relish as the young wolf let out a whimper and then bit Stefan on the arm, hard. That hurt and brought up yet another memory of Damon.

"Tyler Lockwood bit me," Damon said, showing Stefan the bite in the graveyard back home after John Gilbert's funeral. Stefan could only stare at the wound. His fear of Damon and Elena getting closer was nothing compared to the paralysis he felt when he saw the fatal wolf bite on his brother's arm. No, nothing except losing Damon, brought out that feeling of despair and urgency. Not anymore. Damon would never be bitten again. Now it was Stefan's turn to go back to Klaus, begging for blood to cure his own bite. Or maybe he'd let it take him. His thoughts were interrupted when Oliver went flying across the lawn and Elijah came into view above him.

"Stefan, you really should reconsider the idea of flipping your switch back on," Elijah muttered, pulling him to his feet and placing his arm around Stefan's waist to keep him on his feet.

Hayley emerged from the house with Davina in her arms. Davina looked dazed, her head lolling to the side. "Run!" Hayley shouted as wolves came pouring out of the house. There were far too many of them and too few of them. Hayley ran in front of the group, Josh taking up the rear. For a second, Stefan glanced back when he heard the wolves begin to shout and growl. There stood a young man at the end of the street, concealed by the corner of another house, his blue eyes glowed in the darkness, wavy light hair blowing in the breeze. The man seemed to be speaking to himself, his attention on the wolves. Warlock, Stefan thought as the wolf's venom continued to do its work, making his skin burn. It could be worse, it could be Klaus' bite but it still stung and was making it harder for him to move. Elijah dragged him through the streets and back to the compound.

Klaus waited for them, a glass of brandy in hand. "Ah, I see you made it back. And with the little witch. How good of you." His eyes lingered on Davina for a moment with a touch of relief before turning his attention to Stefan. "Mate, you seem to be suffering from a wolf bite. Such a pity. And Hayley seems to have grown fond of you."

"Just give him your blood before I take some of it," Hayley snapped and Klaus smirked before draining his glass and opening his wrist with his fangs. His blood dribbled into the glass which he offered to Stefan.

Taking the glass, Stefan drained it and smiled. "Thanks."

"Any time," Klaus replied, his attention moving back to Davina. "Shall we get her to bed?" he asked, not paying attention to Hayley before taking Davina in his arms and carrying her up the stairs.

Hayley glared after Klaus while Elijah turned to Josh. "You may stay here tonight in case the wolves come looking for you and I am sure that Davina would like to wake to a friendly face and not Niklaus'."

Josh smiled before heading into the house with Elijah, leaving Stefan and Hayley by themselves. "Long day," Hayley quipped, folding her arms over her chest.

"Yeah. You could say that," Stefan nodded.

"Well, I'm going up to bed." Hayley turned and left the courtyard.

Stefan pulled out his phone which had buzzed countless times in his pocket and was beginning to get on his nerves. Punching the voicemail button, Stefan waited. Caroline's voice filled his ear. Over and over again she begged and threatened Stefan, wanting to know where he was and why he wasn't answering her phone calls. "Stefan Salvatore, if you don't answer this phone, I am going to come find you."

Rolling his eyes, Stefan pocketed his phone. He wasn't worried about Caroline coming to find him. There's no way she would risk being stuck in the same place as Klaus. Going into the house, Stefan went to bed, forcing all the humanity he'd felt all day long back where it belonged. No one would be forcing him to flip his switch anytime soon.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace, **

**Jessica**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovely readers. Caroline is coming. Finally, but we've still got plenty of Hayfan goodness. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: I'm Not Okay

A shift in the air. Something so subtle that you might not even notice. The mattress bent beneath her, making room for another person and Hayley kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to talk or do anything else. The day had been long enough. Stefan could find someone else to bother. She just wanted some peace.

"Hayley, your chest is not moving in a rhythmic manner, if you want to appear to be sleeping, you might take that into consideration," the person in her bed told her. Not Stefan.

Sitting up, Hayley turned her head to stare at Elijah who stared back at her. His unblinking gaze always unnerved her. His ability to remain calm no matter what kind of hell they were in the middle of, always made her pissed off. Why couldn't he just act like everyone else and lose his shit?

"Yeah, Elijah," Hayley nodded. "When someone is faking something, that's usually a sign that they don't want to be bothered."

Elijah's eyes moved to the comforter where his hand lay, inches from her hand. Before she lost Hope, Hayley would have done almost anything to feel his touch. Now, everything was different and she didn't know where to go from here. Being with Stefan was easy because Stefan didn't care about her. Elijah did. Or he used to, before she became just another bloodsucker who was lost to him. Or maybe he'd try to save her, like he tried to save Klaus, but what they had been, what she'd meant to him, what they could have been, that was lost to both of them.

"I came in to talk to you about…" Elijah trailed off. He still couldn't make eye contact and that was pissing her off.

"If you're going to stay here, I'm going to go out," Hayley said, getting to her feet and grabbing the jeans she'd tossed on the floor after coming home.

Elijah's eye flicked up to meet her own. "I'm worried about you, Hayley."

Hayley felt like he'd punched her. "Worried?" She scoffed. "Thanks, I'm glad to know you care," she snapped, grabbing a long sleeved T out of her dresser drawer.

Elijah stood up, straightening his tie. "If you need anything," he began when Hayley held up a hand, cutting him off.

"If I need anything, I will take care of it myself," Hayley told him through gritted teeth. Turning her back on him, she stomped out of her room and into the empty hallway.

Hayley had no idea if Elijah left her bedroom or stayed behind for some reason based on nostalgia that he seemed to live in. Her feet led her past her daughter's room. She refused to look inside and be reminded of the living child that did not sleep in that room, but in another, with her devoted aunt, acting as her mother, for the time being.

Closing her fingers around a door knob, Hayley opened the door to the guest bedroom where Davina was staying. She felt her jaw tighten when she found Klaus. He sat beside Davina, her hand clutched in his, his eyes watching her eyelids flutter in her sleep. "What are you doing?" Hayley whispered, coming closer to Klaus, her fists balled at her sides. "And where is Josh?"

Klaus placed a finger to his lips; silencing her. Taking Davina's hand, he placed it, gently, on the bedspread, his fingers gliding over her skin before he got to his feet and motioned to the door. They walked into the hallway in silence. Elijah was not in the hallway. Neither was Stefan. Or Josh. The house felt eerily quiet and Hayley wanted to let out a howl just to break the tension and death like stillness. It felt like walking around a crypt.

"I was keeping an eye on her," Klaus said, lacing his fingers behind his back. "Joshua went back to get some things. I had the Ripper go with him, in case there was any kind of trouble and they seem to be getting on."

Hayley stared back at Klaus. "You. You were looking out for Davina. Bullshit, Klaus. You hate Davina. Since when did you develop feelings that weren't related to using, manipulating or killing others?"

Klaus chuckled. "Hayley, I know you believe that in the short time we had together, that you know everything there is to know about me. And in that you would be wrong."

"Meaning?" Hayley retorted. She could feel her temper becoming out of control and she would attack him soon if he didn't say something that made sense to her. "Davina is my friend, and so help me, Klaus, if you're doing something to hurt her, I will hurt you."

Sighing, Klaus dropped his head before laughing, quietly. "Hayley, Davina is a remarkable young woman. One day, our daughter will also be such. Now, do you understand?" He asked her, titling his head to the side, a smirk appearing on his face.

Hayley let out a bitter laugh. "You're using her. Of course. You're using Davina because she reminds you of Hope."

"Yes," Klaus replied simply. "I cannot protect my daughter, but I can protect her. For the moment. As far as my limitations will allow me to do so. And, perhaps, she will help me defeat my enemies." The smirk became more sinister and Hayley wanted to wring his neck. Not that that would kill him. But it would relieve some of her anger.

"Klaus, you are a monster," Hayley whispered.

"You will not be the last to think me so," Klaus replied. "Now, if you will excuse me. I have a witch to look after." Opening the door to Davina's room, Klaus slipped back inside, closing it behind him.

Giving up, Hayley trudged down the hall. Her bedroom stood open, Elijah was nowhere in sight. Good. Maybe she could go to sleep. She walked back in and tried to go to sleep.

When sleep would not come, Hayley got to her feet. The sounds of movement in the hallway would have woken her anyway. "I think we shouldn't have had those drinks on the way back," Josh's voice rang through the space.

"You're more fun this way," Stefan replied with a laugh.

"Shouldn't it be funner? Is funner even a word? I'm not sure anymore. Did we eat someone or am I that drunk?" Josh whispered loudly enough for everyone in the house with enhanced hearing to hear him.

"You're back," Hayley called in a whisper.

"Honey," Stefan called, not that quietly as he moved toward her. "Let's go out and get someone to eat."

"I thought you already ate," Hayley replied, giving Stefan a long look as he pulled her to him, taking her hand and dancing around in the limited space.

"I'm always hungry," Stefan said, kissing her.

Josh eyed them. "I think that's my cue." Hayley heard a door open and close. When she opened her eyes, she saw Josh had disappeared.

Stefan hauled Hayley off her feet, carrying her into her room and closing the door with his foot. They collapsed on the bed in a heap. "I missed you the other night," Stefan said, yanking her shirt off and then her pants.

"I missed you, too. But I can't deal with you if you're being compelled by the brothers Mikaelson," Hayley told him, looking Stefan in the eye.

Stefan hovered over her. "When was I compelled?"

"The other day," Hayley reminded him.

"That," Stefan rolled his eyes. "You know that I take vervain, right?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "You know they can and will bleed you dry and compel you, again, right?" she inquired as his lips trailed down her skin.

"Let's not talk about people that are nearly as interesting as I am," Stefan told her, his eyes glittering as he jerked her legs around his waist and she knocked him on his back. "You like to be on top, don't you?"

"I'm an alpha female," Hayley replied, kissing him and holding him down beneath her.

"Hmm… I've been with a few women in my time but I don't think I was ever with an alpha before," Stefan grinned up at Hayley, brushing her hair behind her shoulders. For a moment, she saw something in his eyes, something beneath the banter and raw lust. That something made her heart sink. His eyes reflected the tiniest bit of affection, softening just a sliver. "What?" he said, noticing that she had stilled in his arms.

"What are you feeling, right now?" Hayley demanded, glaring at him.

Stefan propped himself up on his elbows while she leaned back from him. "It's more about what I'm not feeling that you should be worried about," he retorted, pulling her closer to him.

"Stefan, are you beginning to feel your emotions?" Hayley questioned him. "'Cause if you are, I'm out of here. I can't deal with your dealing with things. That's not what I signed up for."

Rolling his eyes, Stefan grabbed her by the waist and moved her so that they came together and Hayley's eyes rolled backwards, her lids closing. "You don't have to worry about my feeling anything but this," he said, pressing her into the headboard and making her cry his name. "Just this."

Stefan made Hayley forget everything. Good and bad. All of her fears. All of her desires. All of the things that she could not look at in the cold, hard light of day. When they finished, she fell onto her back, sleep taking her while Stefan's body lay on top of hers.

Sunlight woke Hayley. She looked up at Stefan who looked innocent in his sleep, his hair mussed and out of place. None of his Ripper-self shone through in the early morning light. Hayley slid a finger down his cheekbone. Before her life became such a mess, she might have even fallen for a guy like Stefan. If he'd been someone else. A human. A wolf. Even a witch. A vampire just wasn't someone she'd want to be part of her long term plans. Not that she'd had a lot of long term plans, aside from finding her family.

Stefan's phone began to vibrate in his pants pocket. Hayley shifted beneath him. Looked like he'd had a little too much fun the other night; he was still out cold. Sliding off the bed, Hayley crouched down, removing his phone from his pocket. Caroline's name popped up on his screen. Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls, Stefan's bestie and all-time pain in Hayley's ass when they met. Or maybe Hayley was a pain in Caroline's ass.

Hayley glanced back up at Stefan. His hand twitched. His head began to move and Hayley slipped his phone back into his pocket before taking a seat beside him. "Good morning." She greeted him with a kiss.

"Keep doing that and it's going to be a great morning," Stefan told her, pulling her on top of him.

"Stefan, I'm going to go out and get us someone for breakfast," Hayley replied, kissing him again and smiling.

"You are the best," Stefan said, running a finger over her bottom lip and watching her slip away from him. She could still feel him watching her while she dressed. "Try not to piss Elijah or Klaus off too much while I'm gone." She warned him. "And don't piss Davina off either."

"Why would I piss the witch off? Didn't we save her last night?" Stefan inquired, getting to his feet and dressing.

"Because, while you're like this," Hayley walked over and placed a hand on his chest, "an emotionless, killing machine, it's possible that you'd do anything. I like Davina and I like you, so I'd like it if when I came back, you're still alive."

"I like me alive, too," Stefan said, cupping her chin and kissing her.

Hayley smirked before turning and walking out of the room. She needed a couple minutes to herself. Drama free minutes. Thankfully, no one bothered her on her way out of the compound. And she felt freer as she walked around town, passing tourists, looking for an enemy to sink her teeth into. Or maybe a stranger would do.

Catching sight of a young man with light brown hair walking around a corner, Hayley decided to follow him. Something about him felt familiar, like they'd had an encounter before but she couldn't remember. If he was a friend, good. If he turned out to be an enemy, even better, then she would have someone to take back home with her. Only the man disappeared around another corner and she lost him.

Gritting her teeth, Hayley looked around herself. Where in hell had he gone? He couldn't have just disappeared. She kept walking until she found herself at a dead end. There was nowhere that he could have gone to. Shaking her head, Hayley decided that she'd deal with this mystery another time.

Hayley returned to the streets she'd been prowling before spotting a blonde woman about twenty feet ahead of her. No, it couldn't be. Hayley was about to lose her temper. Why would she be here? Who did she think was coming here? Marching forward, Hayley forced herself through the crowd while the blonde continued to stare at her phone, completely unaware of who was around her. Placing a hand on the vampire's shoulder, Hayley turned her around to face her.

Caroline's eyes widened. "Hayley!" she gasped. "Hi." She did not look happy to see Hayley but she did not look like she wanted to start a fight either. Too bad Hayley didn't feel the same way.

"What the hell are you doing here, Caroline?" Hayley snarled, getting in Caroline's face. She wanted the baby vampire to know that her presence was not wanted or needed. Hayley knew that Caroline might trigger some of Stefan's feelings and she did not want him flipping his switch any time soon. Scaring Caroline into running back to Mystic Hell would be the best possible outcome here.

Caroline's expression hardened, her arms folded over her chest and her head cocked to the side. "I think a friend of mine is here, Hayley, and I came to bring him back home with me."

"Maybe your friend left because he's sick of all the teen drama and wanted a little vacation," Hayley suggested with a sneer.

Caroline's jaw tightened and she leaned closer to Hayley. "Do you know where Stefan is?" she snapped, her eyes glowing, fangs about to come out.

"No, I don't know where Stefan is. And if I did, you'd be the last person I would tell," Hayley snapped back, moving around Caroline and heading back home.

This time it was Caroline, grabbing Hayley and turning her around. "I don't believe you," Caroline hissed.

Hayley smiled, reached back and punching Caroline in the face. Caroline let out a cry of pain. Her head went to the side with the force of the blow and she held her jaw. "Bitch!" she cried and then she hit Hayley back. Within seconds, fists and feet were flying, they had to hold back and it felt really annoying to not be able to use their powers.

A voice stopped them in their tracks. "Ladies, I do believe this is not the time and is certainly not the place," Elijah called to them, coming to stand between them, hands held out to stop them from attacking each other. "Ms. Forbes, I did not know you were in town," he said to Caroline who brushed her hair back from her face, trying to look controlled and looking anything but.

Hayley grinned, licking the blood off her lower lip as she looked back at Caroline, daring her to continue the fight. "Elijah, shouldn't you be babysitting Klaus?" she inquired.

"Niklaus can look after himself," Elijah retorted. "Come with me." His order made Hayley's fists ball, again, but she followed him, glaring at Caroline who glared back.

When they got back to the compound, Klaus came down the stairs. "Caroline. Hayley. I see you girls have not been playing nice," he teased them with a smirk. Hayley saw his eyes linger on Caroline's bruises. Hayley would have to deal with him over that.

Stefan came down behind Klaus. "What are you doing here?" he questioned Caroline.

"I came here for you," Caroline snapped, glaring at Stefan.

"I don't need you here." Stefan walked over to Hayley, slipping an arm around her and staring at his friend. "I've got everything I need, right here."

Hayley watched Caroline's mouth open and then close. She'd never known Caroline to get speechless. She liked it. Looking at Stefan, she leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss before turning to look back at Caroline smugly. Caroline gulped, looking away. Hayley saw Elijah's eyes drift toward the gate, trying to avoid her. She forced anything that resembled humanity into a corner of her mind and grinned. "Looks like you can go home, Caroline, we're doing okay here."

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